The type and applicability of the large amount of Health and Safety Legislation will vary depending on the size of your business but there are legal obligations that all businesses have to observe and comply with. Utilising a structured management system benefits all parties, employee and employer.
Health and Safety seems to fill many organisations with dread and certainly a visit from a Health and Safety Executive Enforcement Officer, coupled with the cost of Fees for Investigation in excess of £130 per hour is unlikely to be a laughing matter for any organisation. Additionally in an increasingly litigious world, people are going to ‘no win no fee’ organisations when they have an accident at work and that the resulting claims can be very difficult to defend and very expensive. Businesses adopting a structured approach to Health and safety management can minimise the threat by identifying potential risks.
The resulting records and defined training stages can also help if the organisation does have to defend against a claim. An organisation that has Health and Safety under control can demonstrate that the risks were considered and the measures taken were in the words of the HSE, reasonably practicable in an effort to minimise the risks and the possible outcomes.
OHSAS 18001 was first issued in 1999 and was developed in response to customer demand for a recognisable occupational health and safety management system standard against which their management system could be assessed and certified. The standard was released as ISO 45001 in 2016. The standard takes a structured approach to health and safety management and based on the common structure specified for all management system standards it is compatible with ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. Although not a requirement under the raft of legislation, its use can help to formalise the approach.
I offer a wide range of services connected with managing your Health and Safety in the workplace. I don’t, however, carry out risk assessments, I strongly support the HSE view that it is better for the Company themselves to complete these so I train my clients to understand how to